Fiber optic communication generally takes place over a network where optical signals travel within an optical waveguide (e.g., an optical fiber) between an optical transmitter (e.g., LEDs or VCSELs [vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers]) and an optical receiver (e.g., optoelectronic sensors). To achieve proper operation, it is especially important to ensure that an optical fiber that is coupled to a transmitter at one end is also coupled to a receiver on another end. This configuration is critical because each fiber channel needs to have a means for generating a signal and a means for sensing a signal.
A variety of different transceivers are in existence today. The arrangement of the transmit lanes (Tx) and receive lanes (Rx) of those transceivers are typically governed by various standards. For example, IEEE 802.3ba, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety, provides the basis for the positioning of Tx and Rx lanes in a 100GBASE-SR10 transceiver. Per IEEE 802.3ba, a 100GBASE-SR10 transceiver employs two rows of 12 fibers each, with 10 of the 12 top center lanes acting as the Rx lanes and 10 of the 12 bottom center lanes acting as the Tx lanes. The top/bottom orientation is determined with reference to a receptacle key being positioned on top when looking into the receptacle. Although there are no particular lane assignments among the Tx or Rx lanes, and thus no corresponding Tx/Rx pairs, it is still imperative that a fiber coupled to a Tx lane on one transceiver be routed to an Rx lane on another transceiver.
While theoretically a pair of 100GBASE-SR10 transceivers may be interconnected via a 24-fiber trunk cable, practical implementation of such a network may pose a number of problems which are linked to the existing fiber optic infrastructure. Many environments where fiber optic connectivity is in use today, such as for example data centers, employ 12-fiber backbone/trunk cables/links. These cables are often hidden from view and are not easily accessible. As a result, upgrading the existing backbone infrastructure can become costly and disruptive.
Options for routing signals of a 24-fiber transceiver through multiple trunk cables have been discussed in various standards, including TIA-568-C.0-2 which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. However, these implementations still have certain shortcomings. For example, the Method A described in TIA-568-C.0-2 relies on using two different harnesses. While Method B described in TIA-568-C.0-2 eliminates the need for different harnesses, it requires a key-up to key-up mating scheme between the harnesses and the trunk cables. In both cases, these drawbacks can create installation problems and/or obstacles.
As a result, there is a continued need for improved systems and methods which enable the interconnection of fiber optic transceivers, and in particular, 24-fiber transceivers such as the 100GBASE-SR10 transceivers.